Hannah Carmona is the best-selling picture book author of Anita and the Dragons, Dazzling Travis, and Beautiful, Wonderful, Strong Little Me!, as well as the author of the series Maria and Mateo Take the Stage. She started out as a stage actor, with a BA in theater from Western Kentucky University, and went on to direct children's theater for many years after. Now, when Hannah is not writing, she narrates audiobooks and spends time studying herbal medicine. Hannah lives in Tennessee with her two daughters and dog who thinks he's a cat.

When Maria and Mateo visit the zoo for the first time, they embark on a mission to rescue the animals from captivity and learn about the purpose of zoos.